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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

ISP investigates prison

Associated Press

BOISE – The Idaho State Police has launched an investigation into staffing levels at the state’s largest private prison after state officials said they found discrepancies in the prison’s monthly reports.

The Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corporation of America has run the Idaho Correctional Center under a contract with the state for a decade. The contract details the way CCA must run the prison. The minimum staffing requirements have also been spelled out in a legal settlement that CCA reached with the American Civil Liberties Union-Idaho after inmates sued in federal court.

Correction Director Brent Reinke told the Idaho Board of Correction Tuesday morning that he asked the state police to investigate because the department found “potential anomalies” during an audit.

The department didn’t begin taking a deeper look until recently, around the time the Associated Press filed public records requests for shift logs at the prison.

CCA’s spokesman Steve Owen said in an email that his company is also investigating the issue.